How I Found my Workbase™

By Kim Burmester, ATLAS Workbase Marketing

I spent most of my career as a road warrior, spending around three weeks a month on the go. I worked in airplane seats next to crying babies, at coffee shops, in hotel lobbies, and on the steering wheels of rental cars. My tech support amounted to frantic trips to FedEx Kinko’s. Then I’d come home to the opposite: a boring, stationary desk.

Change can keep us on our toes—and one space can’t do everything. But I also realize the value of a home base, somewhere with reliable power, friendly faces, and good coffee. I move around quite a bit, because that’s the way I live, and I’ve learned a lot about what I need to get the job done in the process.

This month, I’ve been asking my community about their Workbase™, but I’d like to take a second to tell you about mine. I can start my day with a cup of coffee and a view of the Space Needle in a casual, collaborative atmosphere. When I’m ready, I can head to the Concourse, plug into a monitor, and really focus in. As my day heats up, I can sequester myself in a Brody or a closed-door office. With co-workers across different industries, I pick up new perspectives and collaborators effortlessly. Phone rooms and boardrooms keep every interaction professional, without workarounds or interruptions.

My position has evolved as ATLAS has grown, which has created a kind of symbiotic relationship between productivity and place: Flexible new work meets flexible workspace. My daily routine changes so much, even by the hour, but no matter what I need to do, there’s a perfect environment for it, all within reach.

But coworking, as I’ve learned, isn’t just about the variety of desks. It’s the variety of people and the variety of work. In our community, people are doing different things, so we’re idea sharing and learning from the people right next to us. It’s been critical to our success—while our Members aren’t always co-workers in the strictest sense, the atmosphere of collaboration creates a kind of floating co-worker. Even when a company decides to create a base of operations at ATLAS, mixing up workstations means mingling with the entire group. If there’s a need, there’s someone else at ATLAS to fill it.

ATLAS Workbase has evolved into the workplace of my dreams. It’s reliable, so I can focus on the work I need to do without having to worry about my laptop dying, the internet cutting out, or finding table space. It also has enough variety to keep me on my toes and out of a rut: Since nobody is tied to one desk, my co-workers and surroundings are always shifting.

ATLAS is a living, breathing place, and it’s been exciting to grow alongside it.